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Well, we raise a number of other deep sea invertebrates at high pressure successfully. There are lots of primitive crab-like creatures that have similar intolerances to light and low pressure, but we keep them in aquariums just fine. It would be a feat to raise something that big, but they build pressure tanks large enough to test most space equipment so it's certainly doable. It's a shame that stuff had to die, but for an organism that lays tens of thousands of eggs in a single spawning, 17 probably isn't going to be a big problem. We don't have any trouble taking one or two young from a group of mammals, even though a mammal's fecundity is far lower and we're taking a much larger percent of their juvenile population.
~Joe

Yes Joe, I understand your point however from what I read, it was their intent to determine if this particular species could be raised in captivity as other species of squid had been. Hence my comments that these "creatures live with no light at depths of a mile or deeper". When one takes from the wild in the name of science, one should be prepared to meet the needs of what one is taking. I suspect the costs of building appropriate tanks would be exorbitant and beyond the reach of most. Remember, they "happened to luck into an area where a very large number of said offspring had gathered to feed". It would appear to me they were not prepared to meet the needs of these creatures yet they took them anyway... in the name of science.

Of course we aren't talking about a home hobbyist although the end result was probably the same. Dr. O'Shea is a marine biologist of International acclaim. Given he is quoted in the recent past as having made this statement, "we don't know the first thing about this animal, how it behaves," I still question why 17 were harvested.

Regarding this statement, "I suspect the costs of building appropriate tanks would be exorbitant and beyond the reach of most"... perhaps I should have prefaced same. Beyond the reach of most Universities and privately funded research centers. JLAP, I believe the costs to be in the muti millions. Best guess would be around 10-15 million based on some discussions with volunteers at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago as well as a conversation in passing with my husband who is a structural engineer and has worked on large specialty projects who claimed that he wouldn't even begin to speculate on what costs of recreating that type of pressure could end up at to be able to support those life forms. Certainly not chunk change and well out of the league of any home hobbyist I know of.

I really want one of these critters for my home! The wife gave approval to dig up the back yard. So far I'm about 8 1/2 feet down, so I figure that means another 5,271 and 1/2 feet to go before I hit the mile required. Now, I'm wondering how to line the thing?? Dang! Another obsession hobby--giant squid!!! My back is killing me from all that digging. Well, enough chatter--gotta get back to work!